Bublik’s mysterious walkover finally explained

Alexander Bublik has finally provided an explanation of his 2022 withdrawal against Pablo Carreno Busta in Madrid

AI / Reuters / Panoramic

December 29, 2023

In April 2022, Alexander Bublik retired from his second round clash against Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid.

The withdrawal came out of the blue with Bublik not appearing to be struggling injury-wise, leaving tennis fans wondering what on earth had just happened.

Now, speaking to Casper Ruud and Benoit Paire in the latest episode of UTS’s “All on the Table” series, the Kazakh has revealed what caused him to pull out of the match against Carreno Busta.

“He broke me at 3-3. I shook his hand and walked off the court,” explained Bublik.

Bublik explains Madrid withdrawal

Bublik’s withdrawal came in the third set against Carreno Busta, after the pair had traded blows across the opening two sets.

The match was played in windy conditions, with Bublik bemoaning how this drove him to take an extreme approach to his tennis that day.

“I’m doing some crazy things, like underarms, you know… What can I do against Carreno [Busta]? He was in form, it was before his injury,” he described.

“So I’m playing, I’m leading 6-4, I’m breaking him in the first game. And then I have chances for the second break. 6-4, 5-4, I’m serving, we have a couple of points.

“He’s playing better than me, but I’m winning because I’m doing some crazy shots, because of course he’s more stable than me. He’s breaking me, then I have chances to break at 5-5, then there is a tiebreak, I’m leading the tiebreak, I’m losing the tiebreak at the end.”

The turning point of the match came between sets, where Bublik confessed that he made a startling declaration to Carreno Busta.

“We are crossing after the set, I’m pissed, so much. I’m telling him, ‘If you break me in the third set… I walk off the court.’”

“I have to keep my word” – Bublik

Continuing to explain the incident to Ruud and Paire, Bublik details that he felt obligated to maintain his word in the third set.

“He broke me at 3-3. I shook his hand and walked off the court,” the Kazakh said. “I have to keep my word. I’m not sure if a lot of players would do that, keep their word if they say.”

“You know what my coach said? He said, ‘If you didn’t pull out, I would not be happy with you. Because if you said you pull out, you pull out.’”

With Bublik having a reputation as one of the more mercurial players on Tour, this incident goes down as one of many times that the 26-year-old has gone against the grain. He’s also known for rubbing opponents the wrong way by serving underarm, and giving less than his best effort when losing.

Regardless of the fact that Bublik withdrew in a manner that many other players would refuse to consider doing, he explained that up until that point, he was still committed to the contest.

“[Until 3-3] I was fighting. I was fighting like crazy.”